the country. This other gathered an army and fell upon Erik. There
was a great battle, and many of the English folk were killed; but
ere the day was ended Erik lay dead upon the field, and that was
the last of him.

"No longer could Queen Gunnhild hope to dwell at peace in England.
Her husband's estates were forfeited, and she had no home. So she
took her children and sailed east to Denmark. There she was well
received by the Danish king, Harald Bluetooth. But in spite of
her misfortune her ambitions were not dead, for she had many sons
growing up, and she had a mind to make them all kings in Norway.
These sons, as you may well suppose, had little goodwill for Hakon
the Good, who had dispossessed them of their inheritance. The
eldest of them had roved for a while as vikings, and were already
skilled in warfare, so Gunnhild contrived to get them ships and
followers, and sent them across to Viken, the part of Norway where,
as I have said, King Triggvi Olafson reigned. They had many battles
with Triggvi, but they could not conquer him. But at last King
Hakon came to his nephew's help, and with him pursued the sons of
Gunnhild into Denmark.

"This attack upon Danish soil brought about a war between the kings
of Denmark and Norway, and in a battle at Sotoness Triggvi Olafson
was defeated. He was forced to abandon his ships and save himself
by flight. In a later battle Hakon the Good was killed. It is said
that Gunnhild had bewitched the arrow that slew him.

"Hakon had never tried very hard to make his people Christians,
and he had himself drifted back to the worship of Thor and Odin.
One of his friends, when he was dying, offered to take his body